Danny Collins

This is one of those films when the title tells you nothing so, unless you see a trailer or have a recommendation, you could miss out on a real pleasure. It must have been tempting to use a title like "How A Lost Letter From John Lennon Enabled Danny Collins to Find Himself" but perhaps that would have said too much. Certainly the storyline is very loosely inspired by the true incident of English folk singer Steve Tilston's discovery that Lennon had written to him in 1971.

On the other hand, maybe knowing that the lead role is taken by Al Pacino would be enough for some people to view the movie, since this is an actor who consistently gives brilliant performances. Except that the character of Danny is much tenderer than most of Pacino's roles (think "The Godfather" movies all the way to "Righteous Kill") and the portrayal is much less histrionic than many of his earlier roles (think "Scarface" or "The Devil's Advocate"). Blow me, Pacino even sings in this film.

One of the many delights of "Danny Collins" though is that Pacino (now in his mid 70s) is not the only star. There are excellent performances from Christopher Plummer (even older in his mid 80s) as his agent, Bobby Cannavale as his son, Jennifer Garner as his daughter-in-law, and Annette Bening as a hotel manager. Writer and director Dan Fogelman has given good lines and meaningful roles to his ensemble cast and it pays off a treat. And we get to hear some Lennon classics.

Al Pacino was great in the movie.

I would have never cast him has Danny Collins. Danny Collins is suppose to be a big folk singer in the 1970's. They used old photos of Al from the 1970's as album covers, i think one still from the God father, which made Danny Collins music seem instance and Dark (my kind of folk), but the music actually done was very pop and sounded weird actually being sung by Pacino, who looks more like a lounge singer.

But the movie is not really about the music. Danny Collins is more about Collins attempting to charm his way into his son's life, a man who he has never met and has a family of his own.

Pacino may have been slightly miss cast, but the man was charming and funny and was lighting up the screen with his charisma. similar to his role in Sent of A Woman.

Definitely go see if you are a Pacino fan.

I went into this movie not expecting much, although i love the cast outright. But i was entertained throughout because this movie has heart along with its humor. Writer-director Dan Fogelman's nicely-scripted plot unfolds at a decent pace, albeit a little predictably. Al Pacino, as usual, delivers a full-on performance which includes some decent singing and dancing. He is ably supported by Annette Bening as a reluctant love interest and Christopher Plummer as his faithful manager. The icing on this cake would be the soundtrack featuring songs by John Lennon, with the numbers beautifully worked in. Too bad that Jealous Guy couldn't be included.

This movie is about aging and about finding a reason to live. An aging rock star, Danny Collins, who is still popular, receives a letter from a famous rock star, forty years after the letter was written. The letter contains advice that if followed, may have changed Danny's life for the better. Basically, the letter's message was that you don't have to let material things erode your creativity. The problem for Danny is that after forty years of performing, he now finds himself wallowing in that creative and spiritual rut that the letter warned him about. He hasn't written a new song in thirty years and the material he does perform over and over again is stale to the point of being toxic. None of his props - his huge house, expensive car, young fiancé, the alcohol, the drugs - help inspire him. He feels an emptiness that is nagging him. After reading the letter, Danny decides to retire. He does this in order to try to revive his creativity and prove to himself that he can still produce. The rest of the movie reveals more about Danny's character, showing that under all the the boozing and drugging there exists a decent person. To find out whether Danny finds happiness and fulfillment, watch the movie. Al Pacino gives a strong, yet appropriately nuanced performance as an aging man who is searching for meaning in his life. After decades of using music as much as an escape as well as a source of income, he finally begins to confront the truth about himself. What he discovers makes this movie worth watching.

I was in two minds as to whether I'd even bother with another Pacino film. He's been involved in a quite a few mediocre movies recently and I'd made a mental note to try and avoid them. However, I found plot summary of this movie quite intriguing and thought I'd give it a go. Incredibly this is one of his best films and I really enjoyed it from the start to the credits. Danny Collins has lived a hedonistic, excessive lifestyle for decades, but a surprising event causes him to look at his life and he makes substantial efforts to change and even to mend relationships. His quest may not be easy or faultless but it is still very satisfying. I cannot recommend this highly enough.